FACTBOX - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

(Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, a campaign official said on Friday.

The choice of the 44-year-old mother of five adds youth and executive experience to the Republican ticket headed by the 72-year-old Arizona senator, who would be the oldest person to assume the presidency if he is elected November 4.

The choice of Palin adds a woman and a strong pro-life voice to the Republican campaign, but her youth, limited governmental experience and lack of exposure nationally could be weaknesses for the ticket.

Following are some facts and figures about Palin:

* Palin was sworn in as Alaska's youngest and first woman governor in December 2006. Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, February 11, 1964, she moved to Alaska with her parents as an infant.

* Palin is a darling of U.S. conservatives because of record on tax cuts, opposition to abortion and other issues. Her place on the ticket may help shore up McCain with the Republican Party's Christian base.

* Before her election as governor two years ago, she served on the Wasilla City Council and as mayor of the town. She was later appointed to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, where she learned about the state's energy industry.

* Like McCain she has a maverick streak. She has taken on big oil companies in Alaska and has broken ranks with the local Republican establishment.

* "The oil companies have been hugely influential in Alaska, certainly over the last decade and a half with the prior two administrations ... (For) Alaskans, as owners of the resource ... it is time to embrace our sovereignty," she told Reuters in an interview a few months ago.

* Palin is a devout Christian who is opposed to abortion rights. She is also an avid hunter and angler and a member of the National Rifle Association, a powerful conservative lobby that is staunchly opposed to gun control.

* She has irked environmentalists by opposing the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species and is a big supporter of oil and gas drilling off the Alaska coast.

* Palin, who grew up in Wasilla, near Anchorage, studied journalism and political science at the University of Idaho. She worked in a commercial fishing business with her husband and as a television sportscaster before entering politics.

* Palin gave birth to her fifth child, a son, in April, becoming the second U.S. governor to have a baby while serving in office.